


This Was It

by Asymmetrical_Snowflake



Series: Gorillaz Townsville AU [2]
Category: Gorillaz, Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Childbirth, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asymmetrical_Snowflake/pseuds/Asymmetrical_Snowflake
Summary: Set before "Two of Spades".A peek into when Ace was born.
Relationships: Murdoc Niccals/Stuart "2D" Pot
Series: Gorillaz Townsville AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744933
Kudos: 12





	This Was It

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since my last update to "Two of Spades". I'm still working on it but I wanted to post something since it's been a while. 
> 
> I finished this just a few days ago. I know it's not much, but I hope that you enjoy reading it. ♡

* * *

This was it.

It was finally happening.

After wrapping up an interview that afternoon, _the call_ had come in. There was no time to shower or change clothes; they rushed right to the private hospital and were directed to the proper floor and waiting room, which happened to be by a nurse's station.

The analog clock ticked away on the wall, striking acknowledgment to the silence when there was no noise around them. A few nurses made small talk, or spoke with the head nurse at the station from time to time; a somewhat welcome distraction.

It was around seven that evening that a nurse with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail came out from the door to labor and delivery. "Mr. Niccals?"

For a moment, the man had to let the words sink in before he actually heard them. But with a nudge to his side from the other sitting beside him, his jitters lessened slightly. Standing with a nod, he responded, "Yeah?"

"Things are progressing well. A little slow, but that's to be expected." she told him confidently, her friendly smile never wavering. "It will probably be a while longer… do you want to go home and have us call you when it's almost time?"

Murdoc considered the option, letting it roll around in his head for only a moment. Ultimately, he shook his head. "No, that's alright… but thank you."

Another thirty minutes ticked by, all the while 2D held his hand gently and gave soft, reassuring squeezes. The silence was interrupted by the singer's cell phone going off, which he quickly answered so as not to let the noise linger.

It was Noodle, asking excitedly if there was any news yet. 2D promised to call back when there was.

Eight thirty that night, Russel popped in down at the entrance to drop off some takeout dinner for them. 2D was the one who went to get it, and when he returned he saw Murdoc pacing around the room. The elder was obviously nervous, which Stuart pulled out of him while they ate.

Six months of parenting classes and books, and Murdoc still felt like he was in over his head. His nerves were frayed, and the food helped calm him a little. But Stu knew he was still stuck in his head.

He knew he was right when Murdoc spoke up instead of demolishing his egg roll like he usually would.

"Do you really think that we can do this?"

Stuart picked his head up, placing down his plastic fork and wiped his mouth. "Yeah, I really do."

Murdoc wove his fingers through his hair, hanging his head. "Let's face it, this kid is screwed. A man like me--"

A pale hand gently grasped his knee, cutting him off. "You are _not_ going to mess this up. I love you… and I know this is going to be messy at times. Diving right into being a parent is scary… but even if we had five more years to get ready? It still wouldn't be enough time."

"When the hell did you get so philosophical, Dents?" Murdoc muttered with a snort.

"Muds, we been talkin' _a lot_ the last six months." His eyes were filled with warmth, complementing his reassuring smile. "An' we known each other for a long time… I know you in a way that I don't with anyone else, not even my parents."

At the mention of the word parents, Murdoc's shoulders visibly fell. Everything began so suddenly with him and Stuart; truth be told, Murdoc had repressed his emotions for the blue-haired beauty for several years. He was self-destructive and he had hurt Stu multiple times in the past, and in his mind there was no sugarcoating it: he had been downright abusive and didn't even deserve to be near the singer anymore.

Just after the one-night stand that led them here, Stuart stood by Murdoc as he exploded through the worst breakdown he had ever seen. Yet Stu didn't budge from his rage, and his empty black orbs reflected nothing other than concern and, down to the deepest core of his soul, _love_. He stood still for several long moments after Murdoc threw a half-drunk bottle of rum at his head, only for it to shatter against the wall beside him. Most would think that Murdoc simply missed his target, but Stuart knew that it was just a scare tactic. Like a wolf with his paw stuck in a trap, the Satanist didn't want to look weak, wounded… and so very lonely.

Murdoc never intended for the bottle to hit him. It was all for show. He missed on purpose.

Stuart's unchanged expression was what did him in. Murdoc's face scrunched for a moment, hand fisting and smacking down against shards of glass from another bottle that Murdoc had smashed earlier. Nothing that needed stitching, but the sting from the rum into the newly formed cuts were enough to trigger another onslaught of emotions. His uninjured hand tangled into his dirty, greasy mop of black hair, shoulders beginning to tremble as a sudden sob raked through his aching body. Curling up into himself, trying to close off, and he cried for a short, yet unknown amount of time before he heard the soft footsteps beside him.

A beautiful, calloused hand gently cupped his cheek and the thumb brushed his tears away. A shaky breath caused another sob to take over, and as soon as he leaned into the taller, pale man before him, he was wrapped up in his arms just as quickly. The hand then stroked through his hair, never minding the sweat and grease, and most likely rum, that had accumulated into the mess that the green-skinned man had become.

For the thousandth time, he had been seen through. Stuart saw him hurting and in pain, and yet he stuck around through the verbal abuse and didn't waver. Murdoc hadn't even been drunk; he wasn't sober, but he also wasn't out of control drunk at eleven in the morning on a Tuesday. Stuart still knew him, and well enough to see it was just pain and anger.

Everything changed after that day. Just a few days later, after they finished filming the music video for "Feel Good Inc.", their relationship was consummated when they were alone on the set. They finally began to know each other even more, and while nothing was perfect like in romcoms and fairytales, it didn't have to be. A new normal began to overtake their lives; even Russel and Noodle noticed just how much more functional they all were as a band, and as a family.

Three months later, the world fell out from under Murdoc's feet when he was contacted by the young woman pregnant with his child. Of course his past was going to ruin his future with 2D and the band… but that didn't happen. As soon as he knew that Murdoc was to be a father, 2D was determined to be there every step of the way. The elder was scared out of his mind, despite wanting the baby to be cared for. He was almost certain that Stu would turn tail and leave him to raise the baby alone…

Yet, six months later, they were now both waiting for their little bundle of joy to be born. They were both about to become fathers, and they hadn't even been in a relationship for a year. Murdoc was still worried that his partner would abandon him if things were too hard… but through the best and the worst of times, the singer never gave up hope, and certainly never gave up on him.

The storming sea of his self-loathing was interrupted by the sunshine of his life planting a kiss on his lips; a bit of sauce from the General Tso's chicken lingered on his pink lips, but didn't deter Murdoc from returning it in earnest. Lasting only a moment or two, Stuart pulled back with another soft smile, looking his lover in the eye.

"Neither of us is who we were a year ago."

Murdoc grunted, but nodded.

"We can do this."

* * *

Half-asleep against one another, the brunette nurse stepped out from the ward and caught their attention as soon as they heard her footsteps.

Just past eleven, they were told it was happening. Their baby was coming, most likely within the hour.

Neither of them could sit still; nerves, excitement, it was all mixing together and amplified tenfold. Noodle called about a half hour later, but all they told her was that it would be any time now. Assuring her that they would call in the morning to let everyone know when they could come visit, and that they would need time to be alone with their baby until they were ready. She wished them luck, and when they hung up with the soon-to-be parents, they decided to try and get some sleep. Of course, they weren't entirely successful despite the tiredness.

Just ten minutes past one in the morning, the brunette nurse - Murdoc had asked her name several hours earlier, which was Valerie - stepped out, with the warmest of smiles on her face. Her bangs were swept to the side, and a lock of brown hair hung on each side of her face. They knew as soon as they saw her face; subconsciously, their hands drifted together, squeezing one another's hand gently.

"Congratulations." They immediately smiled from ear to ear, and Stu's eyes began to well. Warm black orbs, as dark as the deep depths of space and time themselves, overwhelmed with tears of joy. "He's doing great. We've prepared a private room, and he'll be there soon."

Stuart sniffled but his happiness wouldn't waver, and he dabbed the tears out of his eyes with his free hand. "That's wonderful… thank you, thank you so much…"

Murdoc gave a nod of agreement, teeth biting his lower lip for a moment. "And… is she?…"

"She's fine. She'll be in recovery for a few days before she goes home." Valerie responded. "She already said goodbye to him."

They were led down the hall of the maternity ward, past the nursery filled with babies - without a green one in sight, as theirs was still with the doctors. Murdoc found himself pacing around the room again, and Stuart was hunched over in a chair with his feet bouncing and fingers twiddling.

* * *

As the soft, familiar whimpers of his youngest daughter rousted Professor Utonium from slumber, he slowly sat up and stretched his achy limbs. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he soon left the bedroom and headed to the nursery. Approaching the blue crib, he reached inside for his blonde daughter, gathering her into his arms and took her out of the room so as not to awaken the two other babies.

_"Sssh… sssh sssh sssh, it's okay, Bubbles… it's okay, Daddy's here."_ He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, watching as her beautiful blue eyes blinked up at him. Smiling down at her, he carefully carried her downstairs. "Let's make you a bottle to get you back down."

With a dim lamp light on in the living room, the Professor stared down at Bubbles as he fed her the bottle of formula. Smiling, leaning back a little in the plush armchair he favored.

There was nothing more magical than holding your baby in your arms.

* * *

Valerie stepped into the doorway. "Are you ready?"

Murdoc stopped dead in his tracks, and Stuart sat up straight before standing after a moment. They both nodded, very clearly still antsy from the wait.

The other nurse, a blonde woman in her mid-twenties, then wheeled the crib into the room. It was most definitely their baby: tiny, pudgy, squirming slightly within the confines of the blanket he was swaddled in. But most distinctively, his skin was green. Even with a paternity test having been performed before he was born, there was no mistaking that he was Murdoc's son.

_"Muds…"_ Stuart uttered just before a big sniffle overtook him.

As he wiped the tears from his eyes again, Valerie carefully picked the baby up and brought him closer to his fathers. "Would you like to hold your son?"

Murdoc found his words were currently useless, but nodded his head. Valerie then placed the baby bundled up in a blue blanket into his arms. He was a little overly cautious with how he held the baby, adjusting his hold a bit with Valerie's help. Before he knew it, the small and warm body was cradled carefully against his chest. In that moment, the noise of the world was drowned out from Murdoc's mind. All of him was focused on the lightly wriggling baby; letting out a soft breath when those little eyes slipped open before him. Gazing up at his father for the very first time, blinking in wonder.

Stuart's arms snuck around his body, the younger resting his head over the shorter man's shoulder. The two men were both completely enamored by the little human before them. So tiny, new, and perfect.

The two nurses left after a moment, so that the new parents could bond with their son.

"Lucifer's wings… I…" Murdoc came up empty trying to properly express himself in this moment. "I'm a father."

Stu smiled and squeezed him gently in his arms. "You are a father."

The baby stared up at his blue-haired father with wonder, and as Murdoc reached to pull the blanket down a bit, their little arms were soon reaching out from the confines of the powder blue fabric.

"Muds… he's just so beautiful…" Pale fingers carefully reached down, gently brushing over the soft black hair atop of the baby's head. It almost felt like the fuzzy coat a baby duck had when it first hatched. "I can't believe how perfect he is. I…" His eyes welled up a little again, but he smiled as that tiny green hand with little green fingers grasped at his fingers. "I'm so happy."

Larger green fingers delicately smoothed down the hair on the baby's head, mismatched eyes filled with tenderness and warmth. "It feels so real now…"

Stu let out a very soft giggle. "Well, he really is." He smiled down at the baby. "And he's all ours."

"All ours…" Little black irises were hidden for a moment when the baby yawned, before resting his head against Murdoc's strong chest. "Our little baby."

When little green fingers let go of his daddy's bigger finger, the pale digit softly booped the baby's nose. "Our little baby."

As the hours ticked by, they only grew to love their son even more. Learning how to bottle feed, burp him, change a diaper, and swaddle him up in a blanket… yet as afraid as Murdoc had been that he would fuck up every little thing, those thoughts had gone away. Of course, he was a bit consciously careful, because the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the small baby.

They barely slept that night, but they didn't even seem to care. Seven in the morning rolled around, as did the slew of paperwork that they had to fill out. The birth mother had signed away her parental rights while she was pregnant, so with Murdoc designated as the biological father, Stuart was approved as the adoptive father. Piles of legal papers be damned, their little bundle of joy was worth every single moment.

Once everything was official, they called the band and Stuart's parents. Finally, they arrived just before ten. They made their way out to the waiting room, where Stuart stepped out first and held the door as Murdoc followed suit.

Noodle gasped and covered her mouth with her hands at the sight of the two and their new baby. _"Oh my god…"_

_"Holy shit."_ Russel let the swear slip out without thinking, which was evident by the way he blinked and subsequently mumbled a quiet, _"Sorry."_

Just like that, everyone had gathered around the parents and newborn. His eyes were wide open and alert, showing the whites were pinkish in color, but nothing that the doctors had mentioned were worrisome. Suckling happily at the pacifier in his mouth, not minding at all that the four new adults before him were admiring him in adoration.

"Wow… you guys… he's just so beautiful…" Russel smiled, already holding back a few tears. "Tiny little fella, ain't he?"

Murdoc snorted softly through his nose. "Well… babies are supposed to be tiny."

"So, now that he's here… will you _finally_ tell us his name?"

Stu giggled at the way Noodle phrased her question. Murdoc, being the man he was, had insisted that they keep the baby's name a secret until he was born. Which Stuart had agreed to, and was intrigued by the idea. Especially due to how unique of a name they had come up with, they didn't want to be talked out of it.

"Well, I suppose a name _is_ useful." Murdoc shrugged, almost nonchalant.

The baby was soon settled into his blue-haired father's arms, partly to be able to show him off to his new grandparents. "Mum, Dad. This is your grandson, Ace." Just then, tiny green arms had reached upwards; Stuart smiled when his mother's hand reached out, letting her finger be grasped by the small green digits. "Ace, this is your nana and pop-pop."

"Ace…" Noodle repeated with a small smile. "Definitely not a name that you hear every day."

Murdoc suddenly smirked, looking rather proud of himself. "His _full name_ is Ace Oliver Spades Pot-Niccals."

Which made Russel's eyes practically bug out when he realized what they had done. That expression was etched into Murdoc's memory forever: the perfect example of how someone looked when they put one and two together.

"Jesus Christ, did you two seriously just name your kid _Ace O. Spades?_ "

"Damn skippy, Uncle Russel." Murdoc spoke through a struggling, stifled fit of giggles. Murdoc Niccals, almost fucking _giggling_. "We both agreed to it, and we thought about it hard. Nothing else felt right."

Russel groaned, slapping his hand over his face, covering his eyes with his palm. "This kid is gonna hate you _so hard_ for such an embarrassing name when he's older…"

"I dunno…" Noodle murmured, smiling at the little baby who was holding his nana's finger so tight. He didn't want to let it go. "Honestly, I think it suits him. I don't know why… but nothing else would sound right."

"Besides," Murdoc began. "Down the line, if he decides he doesn't like it? We'll respect that. But it's legal now, we already finished the paperwork. It's on his birth certificate, and the adoption papers. Whether or not anyone finds it strange, that's his real name."

Russel sighed, shaking his head slightly before removing his hand from over his eyes. "Ace… well, it'll take some getting used to, but it's not a bad name."

Ace attempted to kick out his legs and stretch out, but was unable to due to the blanket he was wrapped in. Rachel giggled at the same time as her son, who lifted his hand up to loosen the soft fabric a bit more. "Not a big fan of being swaddled, Acey?" Stuart smiled as Ace kicked his legs up again, this time less restricted by the blanket.

"He's a smart baby," Rachel said with a smile. "Wants to be cuddled right up to his daddies."

Ace grasped her finger with both of his hands now, and the bright look in his eyes showed that he felt proud of himself. "And to be the center of attention." Stuart responded, before starting to adjust the baby in his hold. "Would you like to hold your grandson?"

The offer was not passed up, and the baby was soon in his nana's arms. The blanket further loosened, so his little feet poked out from the bottom. "Just look at you… how sweet and adorable you are…" Rachel gently grasped his tiny feet in her hand. "He's so perfect, Stewie, Murdoc."

The green man blushed slightly, but Stuart held his hand and squeezed it gently. "He is. I know it's not conventional… but I'm happy we can do this together."

"Like either of you ever been _conventional_ , 'D." Russel chuckled.

Murdoc found his black and red eyes landing on David, who had been rather quiet thus far despite all of the fuss over the baby. He stood close by his wife, his face having softened in a way that Murdoc hadn't quite seen before.

The past had made David question many things; mainly why Stuart ever agreed to join a band with the man who caused two car accidents, let alone how it even came to the point where they were both in love. Despite the rocky road and bumps that were still sure to come, he accepted the relationship even if he didn't understand it. To say he was shocked when Stuart informed them that there was a baby on the way that they intended to raise together would be an understatement. All of that aside, when an accident befell and Kong Studios burned down, Rachel and David didn't hesitate to welcome Stuart and Murdoc to live with them in the interim; the new album was coming out soon, and of course the baby had been to arrive before the madness of a new tour began. Sharing Stu's childhood room was no picnic, but they had even converted the guest room into a nursery.

David loved his son, no matter what came their way. It was something that Murdoc admired, despite still feeling like he didn't really belong.

Ace was handed to David from Rachel, and pride began to visibly fill his gaze. As soon as a tiny green hand gripped at his finger, he was just as enamoured with the baby as everyone else.

"Strong little bugger, aren't you?" He chuckled softly, smiling a bit more as Ace grabbed his finger with both hands. "And a special one, for sure."

David ducked his head, planting a soft kiss on the baby's forehead. Ace only gripped his finger all that tighter, blinking up sweetly at the man who had come to be a proud and loving grandfather.

Just a few minutes later he was held by Russel; cradled easily in one of his arms, rather amused at how tiny the little tot was in his hold. Ace couldn't fully grip one of his thick fingers, but it didn't stop him from trying. By the time Noodle finally held him, she had nearly squealed with excitement. Fingers that strummed guitar strings, that could bring a grown man to his knees when wielding a sword, stroked the dark hair on a small head with utmost care. The smile on her face couldn't be erased, especially as the baby began to blink sleepily. Wriggling just a little bit before he snuggled up comfortably, a few sleepy baby hums heard from behind the pacifier in his mouth.

"You really are something, Acey." Noodle smiled, gently kissing his forehead before he was handed back to Murdoc.

His son nuzzled into his chest, eyes fluttering slightly but soon stayed shut. Quiet, sleepy hums were heard as Ace drifted off. "He certainly is. So special, and so very perfect." the Satanist spoke softly, so as not to disturb the sleepy baby. Though his fingers dared to brush gently across a precious, pudgy cheek. "Welcome to the Gorillaz family, little man."

This was it.

  
  


* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ♤


End file.
